~ Great food has a history

About Me and How to Contact

I have always had a passion for food and with a degree in history, it is not a surprise that I fell in love with Downton Abbey, an era where food played an important role in social standing.

My husband, Lord D, and I are blessed to be able to spend a lot of time together and share the love for Downton. With his own English noble lineage, he loves the look back in time, thinking of his ancestors, and yearning for the return of the days of decorum. Me, I just dream of the large kitchens, bustling with activity as course after course was prepared for the family upstairs.

my idea of helping Mom shell peas

I learned to cook from my maternal grandmother who was not unlike Mrs. Patmore in stature, education and wit. Strict, demanding, but with a heart of gold. Both had to make do with available foodstuffs out in the countryside, but were able to pull off some amazing meals.

I am not affiliated with the Show…I am just a fan writing for fans. If you are looking to this blog for inspiration for your next Downton viewing gathering, and don’t find just the right item, think ‘What would Mrs. Patmore serve?” Or check out Abbey Cooks Entertain (2nd Edition) with 220+ great recipes for Downton entertaining throughout the year.

I do love to fish

Contact me at info@abbeycooks.com

Share this:

21 thoughts on “About Me and How to Contact”

So delighted to have found you! I am planning a Downton Abbey dinner party in April. I have retained a wonderful chef (friend!) and we have been researching the menu. The local and San Francisco antique shops know of the party as I have been scouring their shelves for all things Edwardian! The table is looking beautiful. My wonderful guests, upon hearing of my plans are looking for period dress; I’m so touched.

Question: With the fish course they served “hock”. What is this? And what is it’s modern equivalent?
I gather, so far, that Queen Victorian visited Germany and returned with bottle of this wine.

Glad you found me. If your party is in April, might I suggest a Titanic party since the 100th Anniversary of the event is April 14th. I have the menus posted on my blog. First Class had 11 courses! My goal is to cook through all courses and provide recipes by April! The tie in with Downton Abbey is that the Crawley’s heir went down with the ship.

In either respect, to make your event authentic the time period you should focusing on for food fashion, decor and styles, is what historians have labelled as World War 1 (1914-1918). The Edwardian era actually ended in 1910, and since there were a rapid succession of rulers historians couldn’t put a better name on the following the Edwardian era.

As to “hock”, my understanding is that term is English for German wine and yes it is came into use after Queen Victoria visited Hochheim in 1850. Apparently it currently is used in the UK for cheaper German wine sold there.

Good luck with your party. I would love to hear how it goes and if you need any help planning. There are excellent “pinners” on Pinterest who could help give you inspiration.

Thank you so much for the information on Hock.
We found the “Last Dinner on the Titanic” book and are using some recipes. There were a few other website which reference some menus.
I will keep you posted and learn about “Pinterest”

Great find. Written by fellow Canadian and will make your planning easier since you will know have a play book. As I mentioned I am also going to post some recipes of my own. Do check out Pinterest.com and search for Downton Abbey or Titanic fashions for hint as to what to wear. Have fun!

It’s like you read my own mind! You seem to know so much about it, like you wrote the book in it or some thing. I’m sure that you just can do with a few pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is exactly very good blog page. A good read. I will certainly be back.

GOOD EVENING PAMELA: I READ YOUR INFORMATION IN OUR SUNDAY MAGAZINE SECTION AND WANT TO RECEIVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BOOK AND THE FOOD YOU PREPARE. I AM AN AVID COOK AND COOKBOOK COLLECTOR. MY HOME IS VICTORIAN AND MY HUSBAND ALWAYS SAID IT LOOKS LIKE A STAGE SETTING. I’VE BEEN COLLECTING FOR MANY YEARS. IF I UNDERSTAND THE HARDBACK EDITION OF YOUR BOOK IS NOT OUT BUT THE ONLINE EDITION IS AVAILABLE. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO DOWNLOAD IT FOR WHATEVER FEE YOU ARE ASKING BUT I WOULD LIKE THE HARDBACK EDITION WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE. THE VICTORIAN ERA EMBODIES THE MOST ROMANTIC, ENTHALLY, HISTORICAL TIME FOR COOKING AND CLOTHING AND GARDENING, AND ARCHITECTURE.

Sounds like you have a lovely home. Printing books with full color pictures is quite expensive so unless a publisher comes along who wants to take on that job as well as distribution I will only be offering the book in electronic format. My suggestion is to purchase the PDF version which you can print off.

Hi. I am enthralled .. of course, who wouldn’t be? Do you have a blog I can subscribe to through e-mail or facebook or Pinterest? I would hang on every word. Pinky swear. This is the greatest thing, really. Thanks so much for doing this…and I’m sure I speak for millions!!! Going to get the book and would love to see what you and your minions are up to in future. Gratefully yours. TFB, Carmel, Calif.

Pamela, About this time last year I purchased the PDF cookbook but have since lost it since I received a new laptop at work. Can you send me a e-replacement? Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sincerely, Adam

In the recipe for roast lamb with mint sauce there is an instruction to boil the white wine with salt in a skillet scraping up any brown bits and then pour over the lamb. This feels like deglazing but that doesn’t make sense if it’s in a clean skillet and where would the brown bits come from? Seems like a interesting recipe but I’d like to confirm the method before starting
. I’ve done some research on other roast leg of lamb recipes and can’t find a similar instruction hence the question.

Hello Pamela, I have just come across your site and LOVE it – thank you so much for all your hard work and research – such a pleasure to read! I only discovered Downton Abbey a few months ago as I live in the south of France with my family and never manage to get around to watching tv. However since discovering this beautiful series I, like so many others, am hooked – such beautiful scenery, clothes and of course the food plus so many amazing and loveable characters. Thank you once again, I shall be downloading your book today and am so looking forward to trying some of the recipes.
Ali x

Social Media Icons

Pamela Foster

A culinary historian and Downton fan (not officially connected to the Show or its producers) fascinated by the fine, yet simple food of the post Edwardian period of Downton Abbey. Great food has a history and connects us with our past. Wouldn't it be lovely to add a touch of elegance to your Abbey?